ST. PAUL, Minn. — The man accused of assassination attacks on two Minnesota legislators told a judge he is being kept in jail conditions that are so miserable that he hasn’t been able to sleep. At a scheduled hearing, Vance Boelter asked for a delay in proceedings. His words: “I haven’t slept in 12 to 14 days.” U.S. Judge Douglas Micko granted a seven-day continuance. The U.S. prosecutor didn’t object. Said Boelter to the judge: “I appreciate the motion to extend this so I can get some sleep.” At the hearing, at the federal building in St, Paul, Boelter was escorted into a courtroom packed with news reporters. No cameras were allowed. Boelter was wearing a green suicide safety smock designed to prevent inmates from hanging themselves. He didn’t appear to be wearing any clothing underneath. Boelter professed to the judge he’s not suicidal. Since his arrest Boelter has been held at the Sherburne County jail in Elk Ruver. Boelter’s public defender, Manvir Atwal, said that lights been kept on 24/7, that Boelter has only a mat for lying down and with no pillow, that doors are slamming constantly, that an inmate next to him is spreading feces, and that an anti-suicide garment is unbearably restrictive. Said the attorney: “I cannot do my job in the conditions he’s currently in.” Atwal said she had asked the jail keeper to move Boelter to a segregation cell and that he be taken off suicide watch so he can wear a normal jail uniform and undergarments. More comfortable condition, she said, might help him sleep and help him communicate with her. The chief jailer, Patrick Carr, has not responded to her requests, Atwal said. Whether the jail conditions have been at the instruction of federal prosecutors was unclear. The chief prosecutor, however, acknowledged having communicated with the jail.
NOTE: This article has been reviseed to correct errors.
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Elk River cell block. 732-inmate capacity. Holds prisoners from near and far.
Chief jailer. Patrick Carr. With sheriff’s department 35 years.
Jail profile
The Sherbrne County jail can accommodate 732 innates. It’s a revenue-maker for the county, which charges the federal government and other jurisdictions to house their inmates.The jail was built n 1978. Expansions in 1998 and 2005 cretaed dmore cells for federal inmates. Ag 35 miles from Minneapolis, the jail is relatively handy for federal law enforcement agencies and courts.